The lead singer of The Motelsis in Brisbane for a one-off gig at the New Globe Theatre in the Valley tonight and backs a growing chorus from musicians bemoaning the derth of live music TV shows in Australia.

Countdown (1974-1987) was a weekly ABC TV “institution” featuring video clips, interviews and live performances from local and international artists.

The show gave The Motels and scores of other bands a level of exposure unmatched even by today’s social media efforts.

“Hell, yes (it helped us),” says Davis widening her eyes in that trademark look she owned in Motels hits such as Only The Lonely and Total Control. “It helped all of us. ABBA, Blondie.

“When he said ‘do yourself a favor’ he was serious and people took him seriously.”

Fellow ’80s icons Mondo Rock, who play a reunion concert in Brisbane on June 20, told ABC News Breakfast on Monday that the lack of a show like Countdown was a “big problem” for artists.

“You could go on Countdown on a Sunday and know whether your song was going to be a hit or not,” lead singer Ross Wilson said. “It would go bang into the charts on Monday, or it wouldn’t, all because of Countdown; because everybody in Australia watched it.”

But there’s not much love from the ABC for a revival at this stage.

The national broadcaster’s Head of Content Stuart Menzies said yesterday: “If video killed the radio star then the internet killed live music performance on TV.”

“Countdown was hugely important to me and everyone I knew – it was how we got introduced to any number of bands, but the world has moved on, there are now any number of ways to discover, enjoy and share new bands – and most of them involve the internet.”

News.com.au's Privacy Policy includes important information about our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information (including to provide you with targeted content and advertising based on your online activities). It explains that if you do not provide us with information we have requested from you, we may not be able to provide you with the goods and services you require. It also explains how you can access or seek correction of your personal information, how you can complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with a complaint of that nature.